Secession Petitions: Good PR But Bad Politics

Over the past week I've written on the petitions taking place all around the country with regards to secession. You can read them here, here, here and here. I have also told you that it is symbolic and we are not in need of actually petitioning the Obama Administration to secede from the Union. Instead, I have written publicly and privately to those who have emailed me concerning the issue that if they are serious about secession, that they should be gathering petitions from fellow citizens of their state and dealing with their state legislatures and governors.

Tens of thousands of Americans are now petitioning the White House wanting to withdraw from the union. Although peoples and regions around the world are in the process of withdrawing from debt laden, failed central governments including Scotland, Venice, Catalonia, Bavaria, Flanders and others, it won't be as easy here in the USA. While the US petitions generate great PR for the legal right of secession, this is not the way a state or people legally withdraw from the US union.

First, to secede from the federal union on their own individuals must leave the US and renounce their citizenship, a very complicated and expensive process. Second, the legal way for states to withdraw is individually, state-by-state after conducting a state secession convention very much like a state constitutional convention on 10th Amendment issues.

Most of the individual states originally joined the union through this process and it is how individual states must lawfully leave the union. This is the same method followed by the individual Confederate States of America when they withdrew one by one following the election of Abraham Lincoln.

The right of democratic state-by-state secession did not die at the point of a bayonet at Appomattox Court House in 1865 after Lincoln's invasion killed 600,000 Americans. The growing support for peaceful devolution of government powers and services to regions and local jurisdictions to allow citizens to control the power of politicians and government is a positive advancement for the 21st century. In addition, the right of devolution of states, geographic regions and groups around the world promotes government competition and freedom.

I believe legal state secession from the Washington Empire just might become the only way for American citizens to escape the disastrous consequences of the coming global run to liquidate holdings of Washington Treasury obligations and the dollar. Breaking free of the false chains that threaten our economic future from the likely Washington debt/dollar collapse might be our last chance to safeguard our financial security and liberty from the hyperinflation and crushing new tax increases to be forced on this and future generations from the bailouts and national debt.

Have you considered a confederation of states with no Washington income tax, no federal interference in the internal affairs of individual states, no involvement in perpetual wars around the world without a declaration of war, no Washington tax-feeding bureaucrats telling individual citizens, state legislatures or state agencies what to do?

Maybe it is time to consider the benefits of sovereign states voluntarily participating in a decentralized republic or confederation similar to America's first central government, the Articles of Confederation, created by our patriot founding fathers. In such a decentralized nation issues such as marriage, religious practice, history, symbolism, culture, abortion, gay rights etc. are determined at the state level and citizens can live their lives with regulations and conduct governed by the norms of a state or locality rather than a distant federal government.

I can envision the result being a healthy economy, with minimal government debts, a rising standard of living and job growth guaranteed by low taxes, minimal regulations and currency competition – all of this without the Federal Reserve and Wall Street creating excessive bubbles followed by contraction and collapse and then demanding bailouts.

In summary, I applaud the educational and PR impact of these secession petitions and I urge all readers to sign these petitions. But remember, the right to withdraw from the union requires the same process most states followed to enter into this voluntary contract, state-based secession conventions.

In the end, outright secession may not even be necessary. The mere threat to the federal government created by the potential of legitimate state-by-state secession might well be enough to shake up the power elites in Washington and Wall Street so that they get their acts together.

In closing, I would remind you that the people of a tax jurisdiction or individual state are not really free unless they have the democratic, peaceful right to leave as did the American colonies under the British Empire. Also remember that while petitioning the White House may be a great PR campaign there's no reason to get your hopes up that the Federal government will ever say "Yes" voluntarily; while we don't need them, they certainly need us to continue to pay their bills.

I will leave you, dear readers, with this one last reminder:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another ... "

Secession is a last option, not a first one. My prayer is that things could be solved peacefully whether as a Union or in secession, but seeing that men are depraved and that our own representatives seem to care more about keeping their political power than they do about actually cutting the size and scope of the federal government it does make me wonder if we have arrived at that as our only option.

those serious about the Devine right of secession and the necessity of action might want to look into the League of the South. The desire of a free Christian Southern Nation did not die at Appomattox.

JacktheFAC

Please Mr. Obama--We don't like you or your policy, so would you PLEASE, pretty please, let us secede from you and your policies. Sounds silly doesn't it. If you're going to do it, JUST DO IT, and then tell him about it.

jas1019

We live in a time when the federal government is usurping our Constitutional liberties by fiat via Executive Orders.

This is intolerable and the fracture occurring in this nation is not getting better. This isn't only about the marxist policies of Obama and the left, it is about those in society who have realized they can elect those politicians, both Republican and Democrat, who are willing to give them the most goodies without having to pay for it and we, the producers have had enough.

Secession is the not only good for those who want to have a better than subsistence life, but to prosper and succeed.

Let the takers figure it out when there is nothing left to take from us.

Mtnmama57

It is true that citizens are sending a message to Washington - hopefully they will hear it. But as said in other articles - the states don't really want to secede from the United States but Washington has already seceded from us!

perfectlyaged

Harry...you are correct. Obama said shortly after he took office the first time..."I won." I feel the same as the nations at one of the G20 summit meeting when the speaker told the entire audience (especially Obama) that they did not come to the G20 summit to have democracy preached to them! To all of the Americans who voted this homosexual Muslim Chicago thug into office again...your worse days are ahead. When the many states secede from the union...where is the money going to come from for your goodies? There will be fewer taxes to fill the coffer and less money to support you.
We, the people, are tired of being taken advantage of...we are angry!

The majority of citizens have chosen slavery over liberty and personal freedom. " Every step we take towards making the state our caretaker, by that much we move toward making the state our master." Dwight David Eisenhower. Even Adolf Hitler could see what million of Americans can't seem to understand. " I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

I don't know what you secessionist guys are smoking. Of course it's fun to talk about it and speculate, but even if it were easy to secede, the economic and geopolitical ramifications are too complicated and convoluted to contemplate.

As for revolution, please... Emergency preparedness is great. Stocking food,
medicine, medical supplies, water, batteries, flashlights, radios, candles,
gasoline, generators, and even guns and ammo are part of adult responsibility
and good citizenship. However, I would hope that conservatives don't start
using language that advocates revolution or implies support for revolution.
That is not what we want, nor is it what we want the left saying we want. We
will just be giving them the excuse to do what we fear the most. Many thought
OWS was an attempt to trigger martial law. Maybe, maybe not. Bottom line it
didn't happen and we don't want it to happen. Condemn the nut jobs who would
voluntarily take up arms against this Republic. For one thing, their numbers don't amount to a sneeze in a sandstorm. All of us Vets, military, government employees, first responders, etc., took an oath
"to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against
all ememies foreign and domestic." To forcefully do otherwise is a crime. To conspire to forcefully do otherwise is also a crime. Please expend your energies more productively.

Mike Steele, Midway, Georgia

Bill from Laos

JJM123, you said the key word here - STRIKE! Obama & Co. doesn't give a hoot about the rule of law, so why should we listen to this illegal (p)Resident of our White House. 68% were against Obamacare and they passed it without reading it! I will NOT obey these whores and their damned bulls**t "laws" and neither should any Patriot. We have plenty of Patriots in those red states that voted against Obama - let us continue to resist this fraud "first gay (p)Resident!!" Resist! Resist! As Winston Churchill said, "We shall never surrender to....

[Obama's] demands." Excuse me for substituting his royal highnie's name for Hitler.

Mtnmama57

It is called CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE! Do not fill out any additional forms for Obamacare or anything the federal government sends to you and yours!

Consitutionalist

A quote from Alexander Hailton: But as the plan of the convention aims only at a partial union or consolidation, the State governments would clearly retain all the rights of sovereignty which they before had, and which were not, by that act, EXCLUSIVELY delegated to the United States.

This is only one of countless thoughts of our founding fathers. They knew that the federal government would one day stop serving the people and begin ruling the very people that they swore an oath to serve. It is a constitutional right to petition the government when we the people of that same union do not feel that we are being served!

Shame on all of us when we allow the body of government to dictate our choice of direction. I agree that we should try to maintain the body of government we have fought and died for, but when enough people agree that the government is not serving the same, then it is the obligation of the body of the government to hear and address that concern. To do otherwise is in violation of the oath sworn by those elected to protect and serve!

ARMYOF69

Mentioning SECESSION is a nice way of telling Washington that we are truly mad, and are not going to take it much more. The only OTHER resort left is armed revolution.

Greg137

We are at the end of our rope here trying to keep our government from becoming a dictatorship.. The Constitution is the law of the land and our government officials don't give a F*ck... sorry to have to resort to profanity, but these a$$holes need to know how far We, the People are willing to go to protect Our liberty and our rights!! Anyone who opposes the constitution is not an American and they need to leave... Anyone who opposes the constitution is oposed to liberty! Our health and the care of it is OUR OWN business and it is not the Governments! Be it good health or bad health it is our business and not the governments! 'nuff said! Governemnt is not a god over us, and that is why I beleive that anyone who votes for Obama can't ever be a true Christian, sure you can CLAIM it, but we aren't fooled.. Anyone who supports the government to become a god over the American people isn't a real Christian or Jew.. For the Scriptures says thusly, "The Lord said, "I AM The Lord God there shall be no other god before me, none after me, and none besides me." Read Exodus and I believe, throughout Deuteronomy, in the Old Testament when the Lord states the ten Comandments and be sure to check The book of Isaiah too! Where the Lord states that he is the only God and that there is no other... We, as christians Serve only One God and he is the Lord of Israel... Remember also Israel in your prayers my brothres and sisters... God Blesss you, and may the Lord save America's Freedom...

ARMYOF69

GO GREG. I feel the same way , with many other friends of mine.

JJM123

It may become the ONLY option. Stop treading on us or we will be forced to strike.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1063233837 Belinda Duras

well ron paul is a known anti semite so of course we're not going to listen to him, and if the other fella's is like that we're throwing that nonsense out the window and it's not America but ovamit's amerika we are seperating ourselves from . there is a difference you know. AMERICA we are keeping but ovamit is most definitely going

http://FrontPorchPolitics.com/ Tim Brown

BS, he is not an anti-semite, but hey if you have actual evidence you are welcome to provide it. Right, that's what I thought.

vet

What propaganda do you read that paints Ron Paul as an anti-semite?The only person that has fought this take over of liberty and the corruption is RP.I think maybe you should do some real research on Ron Paul to see that you are mistaken about what you have read.Its a shame that more people don't understand the principles of liberty and freedom.

machodog

Our government has not been listening to us and the re-election of obama was a farce like the initial election. The corruption in our house and senate is sickening; the presence of an illegal alien being our leader and having access to our strategies, our military, our classified information... all the while our elected officials do nothing about anything. Our voices are not heard. Right now our officials think that we're all sore losers and that's why we're trying to secede never once giving thought to that we're serious. Three governors from three states dismissed the idea of secession. Just yesterday, idiotic, mindless, moronic Rick Perry of Texas says "he's not interested". Is this blatant arrogance? He's not going to get re-elected next year...guaranteed.

Getting signatures to secede is the people's way of giving a hint and making a statement that "we're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore". And as usual, they won't listen which is why this is happening to begin with. It is expected for Washington to turn down every one of those petitions. When they are, the next step IS revolution. Ya gotta get their attention.

i'd so it from a library pc in a state far from mine. he's not getting my info for any reason

R.Young

IF this is what We the People really want, then let us do it legally!

sha49tn

I definitely think this is something that is going to happen, & it's not going to be any prettier than the first time it happened. That's why the DHS, IRS, TSA, & other government agencies have ordered so many rounds of ammo. They believe it is something that is very possible, & are planning for it.

Sam in NC

They're gonna need that ammo, considering that we outnumber 'em by about a1,000 to one, and believe me, they know it.

Nam Vet

I'm sure that everyone knows that this is an attempt to send a message to washington that enough is enough.And finally the main stream news is talking about it.The other way a state can secede from the union is the final step and that's a revolution. Know one wants to go there but if it is necessary then we will.One thing that people forget is the guns and ammo military equipment are manufactured in red states.This is not the old days of muskets and swords its about pinpoint accuracy fire power that the southern states have and will use.We the people have spoken and washington had better listen.This is the point!We need to remove the criminals from the seats and establish the constitution and bill of rights that all the states conceded to.Its a contract of the people and by the people and the laws of God that we agreed to and if you don't think were serious just try us.

http://www.facebook.com/harry.rountree Harry Rountree

I think the point is a vote of NO CONFIDENCE in anything Obama. However he does not care hes in a position of power.